‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Episode 7 Spoiler-Free Review

TV & Film

Jan 22

With only three episodes left in the season, the stakes have never been higher! Episode seven is officially out and we have a lot to discuss. This post will contain spoilers for episodes one - six!

In last week’s episode, we discovered that some of the older victims that had been found in episode one actually weren’t Sicarius’ but his uncle’s. After his parents' death, he was taken in by his uncle, abused, and taught to kill. The set of rules that Sicarius sticks to is the same that his uncle had which kept him from ever being caught. It was also revealed that Sicarius has been experimenting with his victims to find which methods are the most painful, most creative, and will take the longest for the person to die. Sicarius struggles with his desire to kill and blames it on his uncle for how he was raised. He gets his ultimate revenge when he returns to his childhood home and murders his uncle. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work the way he wants it to as he begins having the murderous hallucinations again that he was having in episode two.

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One of the biggest developments of episode six was that Bailey seemed to finally be on the side of the BAU rather than fighting against them. After the explosion, he clears them to use the jet, and we finally get to hear Prentiss say “wheels up”. Unfortunately, the jet is taken back this week as the Attorney General becomes involved in the investigation of the BAU. Bailey not only stays on the team’s side, but he actually joins the team this week as Tara takes a few days off. He really is the star of the show this week, and we get to learn a little bit more about him and why he was so against the BAU in the beginning.

Last week we saw Garcia kiss Tyler, and it was so exciting to finally see her getting a love interest that wasn’t going to end up shooting her or being jealous of her relationship with Morgan. Unfortunately, this week Prentiss reminds her that this relationship can’t happen because of the role he plays in the Sicarius case. Although, this doesn't stop some truly spicy moments at the end of the episode! Make sure you stay when the credits start because there is an extra bit of spice hidden within them.

One of the best aspects of this week’s episode was the fact that the BAU was called out for their tunnel vision. They have been so focused on the Sicarius case that there are many cases across the country being missed. The Attorney General points out this fact and reminds Prentiss that they are meant to help in a multitude of cases, not just the most high profile. This leads to the team working on the Sicarius case in tandem with a new case that leads to one of Bailey’s best moments on the show. The episode’s structure resembled that of the original series which is not a surprise after the announcement that the show was getting a second season. I expect that the second season will feature a structure more similar to the original show rather than the hyper fixation we have seen this season.

This episode definitely felt like we were nearing the end of a season as we finally see Sicarius ramping up and becoming more of a threat. His family has always been the one thing that kept him grounded and careful. After a fight with his wife and many hallucinations of him murdering her and their children, he decides to take some time for himself. This is going to be the catalyst for the remainder of the season and the possible setup for the second season.

New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream every Thursday on Paramount+.

Rating: 10/10

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